EAST HARLEM, NEW YORK CITY.
Lights up. Dog days of summer.
Lester enters. He hears LaRiesha call him from offstage, “Lester...Lester...”
DeShawn enters.
LaRiesha offstage, “Lester.....”
DeShawn turns to the voice. He turns back to Lester. They stare at each other.
Moment...
Lester searches him and takes the Raven .22.
LESTER
Let's go.
Lights down/up. They enter a tenement rooftop.
LESTER (cont’d)
Pay attention. I'm only gonna do this once.
(Lester lifts his shirt and reveals several models of guns)
This here's the front of the store.
(he turns around)
This here's the back of the store.
(he lifts his jeans up to his calves)
This here's the bargain basement: .25s; .32s; like the pea-shooter you got. You want something you don't see, lemme know. Something here ring a bell? I'll check my stock...How's the bell, boy? It ringing yet?
DESHAWN
Lift up your shirt, again.
LESTER
...How old are you?
DESHAWN
18.
LESTER
How old are you?
DESHAWN
16.
LESTER
How old?
DESHAWN
...15.
LESTER
You ain't even legal.
DESHAWN
Neither is what you do.
LESTER
What did you say?
DESHAWN
(steps back)
Nothing...
(steps back)
Yo, I’m sorry.
LESTER
What’s your name again?
DESHAWN
DeShawn...DeShawn Dowell.
LESTER
What kind of gun you want?
DESHAWN
You ever hear of a -- Browning?
LESTER
You mean a Browning machine gun .50 caliber? Something to toss over your shoulder like Rambo? You could save yourself a hell of a lot of time and money just by join'n the army. The food and uniform ain't too good, but them muthafuckah's let you shoot all you want. Just tell'em you wanna be cannon fodder and they'll send you over to you know where.
DESHAWN
I don't want no cannon. I want me a Browning semiautomatic...a Nine.
LESTER
The Hi-Power?
DESHAWN
Yeah, its got to have power.
LESTER
Boy, Hi-Power is its trade name.
DESHAWN
You got one?
LESTER
You wanna buy one?
DESHAWN
I wanna see one.
LESTER
What for?
DESHAWN
See what it's like.
LESTER
I thought you already knew.
DESHAWN
I seen it in a magazine.
LESTER
A magazine?
DESHAWN
It looked good.
LESTER
So does pussy.
DESHAWN
I got pussy.
LESTER
Not what's in a magazine.
DESHAWN
You saying my bitch is ugly?
LESTER
I'm saying there's a difference. The one that looks good ain’t real, but the one that’s ugly is. And if you think I’m wrong you’re making love to paper. Now, lemme show you something real.
Lester pulls out his Colt .44 Silver Magnum.
LESTER (cont’d)
This here's a Colt .44.
DESHAWN
Thing makes a lot of noise.
LESTER
It shouldn't...When this gun looks a man in the face, man don't wanna look away outta respect. That's the kind of noise it makes.
DESHAWN
Can I fire a round? See what it’s like?
LESTER
You can fire one round. That’s it.
Lester removes all but one round. He hands it to
DeShawn.
DESHAWN
It’s a big gun.
(Lester takes out another gun.)
LESTER
That’s why this one is better. Easy to hide. Don’t show under a shirt. Lester covers himself with another gun, He hands the Colt to DeShawn. He fires the Colt. It knocks him back. He misses the wall.
DESHAWN
This is a lot of gun.
LESTER
Takes a lot of man.
Lester takes the Colt back.
DESHAWN
I still like the Browning.
LESTER
I thought we settled this Browning business.
DESHAWN
We have. That’s the gun I want.
LESTER
...You ever been into a store before?
DESHAWN
Yeah, I been into a store.
LESTER
Salesman say, "Over here what we got in pants -- over here what we got in shirts." The man, he know what you want. I know what you want...Just that sometime any old thing all of a sudden becomes interestin'....Lemme show you any old thing.
Lester pulls out a Glock 9mm.
LESTER (cont’d)
What you want is a Glock.
DESHAWN
I don't need no clock.
LESTER
I said Glock, stupid, not clock.
Lester thumb releases the magazine. The sliding plastic ka'chings and pops out. Then he shoves it back in.
DESHAWN
Hey...lemme see that.
LESTER
Take it easy. We gettin’ to it.